Did you vote for Kerry because you liked him, or because he wasn't Bush?

[Cuban_Liberal]

Just curious...

[Francesca]

1. for both reasons

while I would have voted for Satan himself to get rid of Bush I truly like Kerry. Dean was my first choice however.............

[Cuban_Liberal]

I never warmed up to him.

I do think he would have made a fine President, however.

:)

[Piperay]

12. Same here...

I was a Clarkie and before Clark entered I was for Edwards. Kerry was never really on my list but I ended up liking him.

[WestHoustonDem]

2. Both!

[da_chimperor]

3. I liked him, but my two favorites during the primaries were Dean and Clark

He was my third choice, but I still think he would have made a great president.

[liberalpragmatist]

4. I STILL Like Him

I don't think he should be ruled out in '08 either. If he does great things the next 4 years, then I think he deserves another shot.

[teach1st]

5. Both...

.nearer the beginning of the campaign I was ABB and leaned toward Clark or Dean. Although Kerry's positions don't square with my philosophy, he did convince me this summer that he had what it takes to be president.

[w13rd0]

6. Kerry would be a better President than Bush...

...and COULD be pretty good, especially if he were able to move forward on issues of energy independence. I found reasons to vote FOR him. I've TOO MANY reasons to vote against Bush already.

[Redleg]

7. I like Kerry and I hate Bush.

I still like Kerry even though I believe he conceded to quickly.

[Crankie Avalon]

8. Ultimately, I liked him...

...though I have to admit, I would have voted for him mostly for the other reason until he finally impressed me in his own right during the debates.

[fugue]

14. That's pretty much where I'm coming from.

I was ABB until the debates. Then I liked Kerry.

Now I'm boiling mad about his rapid concession. I'll still take him over Bush if the voter fraud investigations bear any fruit, but he's got a lot of ground to make up with me.

[LittleClarkie]

9. First one, then the other

I ABB'd then started slowly checking out the candidate that had been chosen, even though my choice had been Clark.

I now just love the man.

[LiberalAndProud]

21. I second that emotion.

[bigwillq]

10. I liked him and the issues he stood for

Honestly, I was ABB until the DEM convention. Then, Kerry showed me he would be a strong, decisive leader. He really impressed me in the weeks after the DEM convention. I gained a lot of respect for Kerry these last few months.

I do wish he fought a bit more with all this voter fraud B.S. but I still think it would've been impossible for him to prove fraud and it would probably be highly unlikely that "they" would've overturned the election.

[Demoiselle]

11. I grew to like him enormously.....

His steady performance in the debates led me to believe that he has a wonderful combination of dignity and warmth. I like that in a President.

[Larkspur]

13. I dislike both Kerry and Bush

I held my nose and voted for Kerry because Bush is a disaster, but Kerry's IWR vote and his failure to denounce the immoral war in Iraq became an albatross around his political neck. I will not vote for Kerry or any Dem Losership Council approved candidate again unless they trully earn my respect. Kerry never had my respect. He had earned my scorn with what his aides did to Dean in the Primaries and for his support of the immoral Iraq War and Israel's apartheid policies.

[kohodog]

15. The way I know is because i didn't donate directly to kerry

I gave to dean, a number of State and local dems and the DNC, but never Kerry. Before the election I felt that the pick may have been right and that he may have been the only one of the Primary runners who could win.

Today I still don't know if : a) the Right Wing lie and spin and lie machine was too much for anyone to overcome this year; b) The vote was hacked; or c) Kerry blew it by not countering the swift boat guys from hell. not losing the flip flop label, yada yada.

Anyway, I basically felt he was too centrist, trying to appeal to everyone and in so doing never presented a clear progressive vision to counter Bush's "you're safer now," and I'm a strong leader" bs.

I feel that the media was complicit in alowing equal time to lies.

[Auntie Bush]

52. I agree with everything you say...thanks for posting!

Is was an avid/rabid Clark supporter! Clark said he supported Kerry so I did too with most my heart. After the convention I was an avid Kerry supporter. I was soooo proud of him and felt he had the best chance to win...thus he had ALL my support. But...I too was a little disappointed he didn't go after the SBLiers sooner and harder. He also should have explained his vote on the war better...like over and over till our ears hurt. That would have gotten rid of the flip-flop label.

[d_b]

16. both

[WarNoMore]

17. I moved to

Mass in 1965 and I kind of feel that Kerry and I "came of age" together. He's earned my respect in all these years and that respect is still there.

[indigobusiness]

18. I've liked him since he came back from Nam...

and had the guts to loudly protest that sorry war.

[journalist3072]

23. Kerry

Speaking of Vietnam:

I had always liked Senator Kerry. But it was Reverend David Alston's speech during the Democratic Convention, that really gave me more of a sense of John Kerry the person, and how he would lead this country as President of the United States.

Rev. Alston was on John Kerry's swiftboat, and during the convention, he spoke in a very moving way on how John Kerry, as the leader of the boat, had to make split-second life or death decisions for the entire boat. And he showed that not only could Sen. Kerry make split-second decisions, but that he could make the RIGHT decisions.

Bush is famous for saying he is a decisive leader. But that does the United States no good when he consistently makes the WRONG decisions.

Anyway, your mention of Vietnam and Sen. Kerry got me to thinking about Rev. Alston's speech. For those who may not have seen it during the Convention this summer, here is the transcript:


Rev. David Alston

Good evening.

My name is David Alston, and I am a minister from Columbia, South Carolina. I join you here tonight in Boston-birthplace of the American Revolution-to celebrate the bedrock ideals on which our nation was founded-freedom, equality, and democracy.

I also come here tonight to honor a friend of mine, a man of courage and conviction who has fought for these ideals his entire life: John Kerry. Many of you in this hall already know John Kerry well. Others across this land are still learning about his long and distinguished record of public service.

I know him from a small boat in Vietnam, where we fought and bled together, serving our country. There were six of us aboard PCF-94, a 50-foot, twin-engine craft known as a "Swift Boat." We all came from different walks of life, but all of us-including our skipper, John Kerry-volunteered for combat duty. And combat is what we got.

We usually patrolled the narrow waterways of the Mekong delta, flanked on both sides by thick jungle. As our crewmate Gene Thorson put it, we were a traveling bulls-eye. And we often came under sudden attack from the enemy, hidden in the shadows. Machine-gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades, it all came fast and furious, and Lieutenant Kerry had to make quick, life-or-death decisions for the entire boat.

You have to realize, a Swift Boat isn't armored. The hull is aluminum, about as thick as two nickels. And in the middle of a narrow river or canal, with no cover at all, even small-caliber bullets could punch right through it-and often did.

Manning the deck guns, most of us got wounded sooner or later, including Lieutenant Kerry. It would have been easiest, in an ambush, to simply rake the shore with return fire and roar on down the river to safety. But Lieutenant Kerry was known for taking the fight straight to the enemy. I can still see him now, standing in the doorway of the pilothouse, firing his M-16, shouting orders through the smoke and chaos.

Once, he even directed the helmsman to beach the boat, right into the teeth of an ambush, and pursued our attackers on foot, into the jungle. In the toughest of situations, Lieutenant Kerry showed judgment, loyalty and courage. Even wounded, or confronting sights no man should ever have to see, he never lost his cool.

And when the shooting stopped, he was always there too, with a caring hand on my shoulder asking, "Gunner, are you OK?" I was only 21, running on fear and adrenaline. Lieutenant Kerry always took the time to calm us down, to bring us back to reality, to give us hope, to show us what we truly had within ourselves. I came to love and respect him as a man I could trust with life itself.

I am a man of faith, and I did not come here tonight to glorify what we did. I came here to share my personal knowledge of a young naval officer who rose to the challenges and responsibilities of leadership, and who has always shown the courage to speak truth to power.

The 27th Psalm tells us, "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident" I stand before you tonight alive, while many of our brothers never made it home. I am grateful to have lived to enjoy my children, to see them grow up. But I stand here before you only because almighty God saw our boat safely through those rivers of death and destruction, by giving us a brave, wise, and decisive leader named John Kerry.

Today, 30 years after Vietnam, American soldiers are once again fighting and dying on distant battlefields, at war with an elusive enemy. We pray for these brave men and women. They are our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones. Their loss brings all of us sadness beyond measure.

In a few short months, we will choose our next President. I believe we need to elect a man of faith, experience, and wisdom. A man who knows that defending America means defending our most fundamental rights. A man who knows that leadership is not just about telling others what to do, but inspiring them to do it. A man who knows the true meaning of freedom, equality, and democracy. And that man is my former skipper, my friend, and our next commander-in-chief, John Kerry.

Friends, here in this city more than two centuries ago, patriots launched a revolution that changed history. Generations since have marched, fought, and died to defend the sacred ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-and to make these ideals a reality for every American.

It is now our turn to defend these ideals. It is our time to speak out. It is our duty to exercise our most precious right as Americans: the right to vote.

So come November 2nd, join me in casting your ballot for a new, principled, and courageous leader-America's next president-John Kerry.

Thank you.

[indigobusiness]

45. Good post Welcome to DU n/t

[journalist3072]

50. Thanks!

I appreciate it!

[killbotfactory]

19. I liked Kerry

He would of made a good president.

But I saw his weaknesses as a candidate from the beginning and was never convinced he was the most electable guy in the primaries.

[LittleClarkie]

33. What is it they say

The most electable is not always the best man for the job.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to a time when we couldn't see these people, and could only listen to them or even better, just read about them in the paper.

It would be about what they say then, and not the image they project. But that's not going to happen.

This must be what getting Lincoln elected in the modern era would have been like.

[journalist3072]

20. My Vote for Kerry

I voted for Sen. Kerry because I liked him and agreed with him on the issues, and because he wasn't Bush. Both factors were a plus with me!

[RichardRay]

22. Another both

I was going to vote for just about anybody who wasn't W and JK was just fine in that perspective. As the campaign went on I grew to like him more. He's still not my idea of the ideal president, but then nobody is, so I can't hold that against him.

I hold with those who think that anybody who wants the job is suspect, but some less than others.

Richard Ray - Jackson Hole, WY

[JudyM]

27. And another...

I knew some of Kerry's Senatorial history, nothing of his past. He seemed like a good candidate, separate and apart from Bush being a pathetic and evil ass. As time went on I became more and more impressed with Kerry. I still think he has integrity even though I'm puzzled by his silence in the midst of what's happening now. I just assume he's letting others lead the way so that Bush doesn't 'gore' him as he has previously. Let Bush reserve his venom - he can't as easily land into hundreds of concerned citizens. And let Kerry step forward when in his wisdom he thinks the time is right.

[flaminbats]

29. don't forget me..

Zell Miller isn't Bush, that doesn't mean I'll vote for him.

[Royalfred]

24. Clark

I was a Clark man. Kerry WILL be a good President, but I would have voted for any Dem with a pulse.

[chaska]

25. He was my second or third choice. Clark, Dean, Kerry.

[muse]

26. I was and still am crazy about Kerry.

I was prepared to vote for anybody but Bush, but became a huge Kerry fan during the Democratic National Convention.

[Fleurs du Mal]

28. Like him...

in general, especially his record on the environment.

[Generator]

30. I liked him so much it hurt

And now that I suspect fraud, and Kerry is not demanding re-counts-I have to hear things like oh maybe those swiftboat guys were right.

Bullshit. Kerry may be too good for this country, certainly the stupid dumb country that is appearing before me now.

[karlrschneider]

31. I had to go with the ABB option, not that I had anything against Kerry,

but (and maybe it's more of a saturation of wingnut thinking here in Oklahoma) I didn't think JK had the best chance of resonating with most of the "good ole boys/gals" that populate the huge middle of the country. (I still believe he actually won, but all the fraud...well...)
Around here, "liberal" is about as pejorative as "child molester", and I suspect that's true in much of the nation. That it's a lie doesn't register with the bible-beating Luddites who screw someone else's wife on Saturday and plunk a ten-spot in the collection plate on Sunday morning.

Someone should figure a way to put hypocrisy on the commodities market, they'd make a fortune in the Red states.

[Madame X]

32. It was similar to an arranged marriage

I learned to love him after I was already committed to him. I didn't necessarily love the way his campaign was run, but I had no problems with the man.

[TalkingDog]

34. At first

It was an anti-Bush vote. I would've voted his father in over *, I would've voted Regan in over *...And I really disliked Bush Sr. and Regan, but gods, at least they weren't completely psychotic.

For example:

This incredible fact was revealed in the October 17, 2004, edition of the New York Times' Magazine in a must-read article by Ron Suskind, "Without a Doubt." In this article, Suskind reports on this assessment by an unnamed Bush administration official: Bush and his staff are not part of the "reality-based community."

The aide said that guys like me (Suskind) were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.

but I digress.....

I couldn't bear to watch the first two debates because of how badly Bush freaks me out. But after hearing all the positive chatter about Kerry, I made myself watch the 3rd one. I was really impressed with the depth and breadth of his answers considering the time constraints. After that I became a Kerry supporter and not long after that a lurker on DU.

Long story short....Both, but mostly because I like Kerry.

[Pirate Smile]

35. Both - they are not mutually exclusive.

[mtnsnake]

36. I never thought Kerry was very electable when I saw him in the primaries

although I got real impressed with him after listening to his acceptance speech.

Then, after listening to continuous monotone speeches, or mysteries I should say, and after his bizarre Mary Cheney comment, I went back to thinking he was not electable.

I was more about just getting the monster Bush ousted by ANYONE, but Clark was my first choice.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

37. I'll be honest,

Kerry wasn't my first choice (I was for Edwards or Clark at first), but when I really started listening to him, I liked him more. He has a complex mind for complex issues, yet knows when to keep things simple (as he can). I was never much of an ABBer. I wanted Bush out, but I was really looking for the best candidate (for the country, not just to beat Bush), and he we had a good ticket.

[jbm]

38. I truly believe Kerry would have joined the ranks

of the greatest presidents. Having a fascist dumb guy in the white house makes me sad, but what truly breaks my heart are the thoughts of 'what might have been'.

[Mike L]

39. ABB

[JohnKleeb]

40. I worked my butt off because this guy shares very much my vision

I am so proud of all he's done, its just such a shame he wont become number 44, shame.

[elperromagico]

41. I voted pro-Kerry, not anti-Bush.

Fortunately, my pro-Kerry vote just happened to be an anti-Bush vote too. Two birds with one stone.

[seaj11]

42. I liked him.

Good poll, Cuban_Liberal! :thumbsup: He wasn't my favorite candidate in the primaries, and I operated under a ABB attitude until the debates. That's when I really warmed up to him. I think he is a respectable, intelligent, and capable man.

John Kerry, :yourock:

[TOhioLiberal]

43. I liked him...

the more I heard him, the more I liked him, too.
Gee I wonder if Limpdickbaugh, and Insanity will report on this poll too? :eyes: Oh nevermind...its running 60-40% that we actually liked him. Hate to kill that meme...'not voting for Kerry but against Bush' :)

[tokenlib]

44. Kerry grew on me..

Originally I wanted Clark--and was depressed when he didn't catch fire. Kerry almost annoyed me--hard to warm up to and all that. But after so many months of listening to his speeches, and watching Vanessa, Alex, Chris, and Theresa,--I began to warm up to the guy. When Kerry spoke in churches and expressed that there was morality and faith behind our message and policies--I was struck by his sincerity. Kerry was doing what some pundits and analysts now say that he failed to do--he just didn't flaunt it and throw it into every stump speech.

I appreciated that usually quiet, confident faith--that he saw no need to flaunt. I really got to like John Kerry.

[idiosyncratic]

46. Same here. He grew on me, especially after seeing all the

still pictures people posted on this site.

He really knew how to connect to people.

[Minimus]

47. both - but I did like him!

[mzmolly]

48. B.O.T.H!

Democrats share my political philosophy by and large ... thus the ABB mentallity. Further John Kerry is a man who deserved my full support and eventually he got it.

[Progressive4Life]

49. Both

I've been ABB since December of 2000, but Kerry sold me in the very beginning with his views on the environment and a woman's right to choose.

But, had any of the other Dem contenders won the nomination, I would have supported him/her.

[SpecialK84]

51. I was ABB in 2000 ... before Kerry was in the picture

Of course, I couldn't vote in that election ... but my decision for 2004 was predetermined ... someone's pet rock could have ran and I would have voted for it over Bush.

That said, I still voted for Kerry and not for "Not Bush". My ex-hippy English 112 teacher my fresh year in college made our ENTIRE class about Vietnam (particularly the anti-war movement) and during that class we watched his senate testimony. That was when I started liking John Kerry and last week I fully voted for HIM for President.

[scout123]

53. I liked him, and so did...

Christopher Reeve, Michael Fox, 9-11 Widows, millions without health insurance, or jobs, or decent air and water...the list goes on and on.

Was he an inspiring, charismatic speaker? No, but he was getting better everyday, after looking at all those faces of hope on the campaign trail, day after day. And when he gave that concession speech, you could see it on his face and hear it in his voice. He has a good heart, and he's a fighter. And I want a President with a brain, a good heart and a fighting spirit over a charismatic 'good speaker' anyday.

[Pastiche423]

54. Fear of whistle ass

It hurt to vote for Kerry, but it especially hurt voting for Edwards.

[OrwellwasRight]

55. As a political junkie, I have been a fan of Kerry for years

So I actually liked him.

However, he was not my first choice. I voted for Kucinich in the primaries, and I think the primaries were less than competitive. But my disgust with our primary system could be its own rant, so I'll skip it for now.

I would have voted for virtually anyone, however (given that they were left of Bush).

[kerrygoddess]

56. Kerry was my #1 choice from Spring '03

[serryjw]

57. I would have voted/supported a GREEN EYED MARTIAN

to save SCOTUS> Sorry, it didn't work

[DuaneBidoux]

58. I would have voted for Micky Mouse

[Raftysworld]

59. Hmmmm...

I originally didn't care for him all that much, but when I began to take a look indepth to the democratic nominee, and beyond what Fox portrayed him as, I realized I did certainly like him.

[Warren DeMontague]

60. After watching "Going Upriver"

I became more convinced than ever that he is the kind of person who ought to be President.

[Sugarbleus]

61. He wasn't bush.

Thought of him as a stepping stone to a more liberal agenda/a stop-gap measure against bushco. I liked him as a person though.

[Roxy66]

62. Bush at first...then I really grew to like Kerry...n/t